ALBANY COUNTY  Democratic candidate Patricia Fahy has won her bid as representative of the newly redrawn 109th State Assembly District by a wide margin.

Fahy beat Republican candidate Ted Danz 35,043 votes to 18,039 votes in the Tuesday, Nov. 6, general election. Conservative candidate Joseph Sullivan received 1,897 votes. The newly redrawn district encompasses the southwestern parts of the City of Albany and the towns of Guilderland, New Scotland and Bethlehem. Candidates were vying to replace Assemblyman Jack McEneny, who is retiring.

“I think our grassroots piece of the campaign with volunteers was really reassuring to the area’s middle class,” Fahy said. “It said first generation folks can still run for political office and still be a voice for the community, and a campaign doesn’t have to be driven by money.”

Fahy is the former president of the Albany City School Board. She is also a former employee of the New York State Department of Labor. During a competitive primary, she said many dismissed her as someone who couldn’t raise the money or get the right backing to win and said it was great to defy those predictions.

The assemblywoman-elect came out victorious after a six-way September primary. County Legislator Christopher Higgins, Assistant Attorney General William McCarthy, former county Executive Jim Coyne, Frank Commisso Jr. and political newcomer Margarita Perez were seeking the Democratic nomination alongside Fahy. Fahy won with 5,045 votes, with Commisso following closest with 2,443 votes. Higgins came up third with 2,221 votes, followed by McCarthy, Coyne and Perez in last place with 445 votes.

During the general election, Fahy’s highlighted topics like education equality, raising the minimum wage, campaign finance reform, creating green jobs and equal pay initiatives. She also called for mandate relief and said she wants to change the education property tax formula, which she said is extremely difficult to understand.